Steven Universe in A Blast From The Past
by OMAC001
Summary: Prepare to learn the secret history of Rose Quartz, Greg Universe,...and Alena Frankfurt, Head of the Earth Defense Initiative! Continuing from 'At Any Price.'
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, and the Crystal Gems all stood in shocked silence at what they had just heard. After having just dealt with the betrayal of Alena Frankfurt, head of the new established Earth Defense Initiative(1), Greg Universe now present them with the shocking secret that the same betrayer is somehow responsible for Steven Universe's existence. "So Greg…I think I speak for everyone when I ask… _what the heck are you talking about with Alena being 'the reason Steven's here'?!_ " exclaimed Pearl in a mixture of surprise and outrage.

Greg took a moment to gather himself before replying, "It's gonna take…a lot to explain all of this." with that Greg sat down on the sofa and started to explain, "Steven…remember how was tell you about how I started working at the carwash?" when Steven answered with a nod, Greg continued, "Well during the first week or so there weren't a lot customers, then just a week into it, up rolled the girl I knew as Alena in a black and silver Volkswagen Beetle…"

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. My first SU flashback story! Hope I do a good job! Please Read and Review!

1 All of the information can be found in my last story: "Steven Universe in: At Any Price".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: In From the Rain

 _It's A Wash! Early afternoon fourteen years ago…_

Greg had just finished up restocking the shelves with cleaning supplies. It had been another slow day at the 'It's A Wash!' carwash. Beach City had its largest influx of visitors in the summer, but that didn't mean the business closed. The locals came by for a carwash and the occasional lost tourist asking for directions to Empire City or thereabouts. Today was only different in that _no one_ had showed up today, probably because of the rainstorm outside… _sigh_ …

Just then, Greg hears a car horn honking outside. Rushing out into the rain, after putting on a raincoat of course, Greg spots a silver and black Volkswagen Beetle just a few feet from the door. The window rolls down, a woman's voice asked, "Hallo! Can you help me?"

"Um, sure! Whadaya need?" asked Greg, still somewhat unsure as he walked closer to the car. It wasn't the voice of anyone he knew and the accent was definitely European. Which served only to further the mystery of why this woman was visiting Beach City in the off-season…

"Firstly, I will need a motel to stay the night. And perhaps…your phone number…?" asked the woman enigmatically. Greg was certainly surprised by that last request. Who asks a complete stranger for their phone number?

"Uh well, the nearest motel is about a couple of miles up the road(1). It's called the Sun-shining Day Inn…I'm being serious by the way(2). As for my phone number…I don't usually give that out to people I've just met." replied Greg.

The woman finally left the car, wearing a bright blue rain-slicker with orange rubber boots. The most noticeable features of her face for Greg were the piercing light-blue eyes framed by coke-bottle glasses. They were like little ponds frozen in the winter cold…

This was completely at odds with the easy smile and friendly demeanor she gave off as the woman introduced herself, "Guten tag! Mein name is Alena Frankfurt. Now I believe we were talking about exchange information…" There was something about the mischievous tone that endeared Greg to Alena. Perhaps because it seemed like a mature Amethyst…

"Excuse mein asking, but…perhaps I could drive you to your home while on the way to the hotel?" asked Alena.

Greg waved off her concerns before replying, "No need! My homes right there in the parking lot!" And with that, Greg pointed to the Universe van he has lived (and will live in) for years.

Alena did not take that well! "NEIN! I refuse to let you sleep in a van crawling with mites and ticks! You…are coming…with me!" And with that, Alena grabbed Greg by the arm and dragged him into her Volkswagen's passenger seat before rushing over to the driver seat and quickly started the car, with the song ' _Ground Control to Major Tom_ ' by David Bowie(3) playing on the radio.

As they drove down the highway, Greg tried to reason with Alena, "You know…it wouldn't be really appropriate…us sleeping in the same room…"

Alena turned to Greg with a look of surprise, before laughing and lowering her hood, showing mid-back length ebony locks before responding, "Nein, nein, Herr Greg! I fully intend on buying you your own room! I just…can't let you stay in some…cold van all night." Turning her eyes back on the road, Alena noticed the Sun-shining Day Inn coming up and pulled into the parking lot.

Rushing Greg inside, despite his insistence that it wasn't necessary, Alena book two rooms… _right next to each other._ Greg walked into the room, not first class but still well above his current price range. Greg decided to crash in bed and fall asleep…either to wake up in the morning and find that this was all a crazy dream…or…

 _The Sun-shining Day Inn, next morning…_

Greg Universe woke-up in unfamiliar surroundings to the sound of someone pounding on the door…truthfully not an uncommon occurrence in his life. Standing up straight, Greg realized he was in the room Alena had paid for him. Walking towards the door quickly, Greg opened the door to revealed Alena Frankfurt in a simple outfit, a white blouse with plaid skirt down to her knees and black stockings and sensible shoes. Smiling brightly, Alena asked, "How are you this day, Greg?"

"Um, a little confused to be honest." answered Greg, "I mean, most people wouldn't go to the trouble of putting someone up in a motel room without a reason."

"Well…to be honest, I am in need a guide and I was hoping…?" Alena hesitantly asked.

Greg motioned reassuringly with his right hand and said, "I got ya. So why don't I take you around and show you the sights!" And with that, the strange duo was off…(4)

The first stop on the tour was Fish Stew Pizza, where Alena met the Pizza family and tired their food. It did not agree with her…as a trip outside to the waste-bin showed. Next was Beach Citywalk Fries, where Alena had an animated talk with Ronaldo Fryman, while Greg watched with amusement and Mr. Fryman with concern. Next up was Funland Arcade with a visit to Future Boy Zoltron! Alena got frustrated with the 'half-baked predictions' and started to smashed the machine to get her quarters back! Thankfully, Greg manage to drag Alena away before Mr. Smiley showed up…

"Well that was…not how I pictured the day to go." admitted Greg as they walked further down the Boardwalk.

"I apologize about overreacting to the Zoltron thing. And the getting sick at Fish Stew Pizza. I'm sure it was just me coming down with a bug!" apologized Alena frantically.

Greg laughs before saying, "No worries, I'm sure Kofi didn't see anything. Also it was nice how well you got along with little Ronaldo."

"Oh it was no problem! The little darling was quite charming with his _theories_. I do hope he doesn't become too obsessed though…" replied Alena, before looking towards the Crystal Gem's temple and asking, "What is that magnificent edifice?"

Greg became nervous at this sudden interest, "Umm, I think we should save that for tomorrow. It's getting late. Hey that's Vidalia's!"

And sure enough, there was the home of Greg Universe's good friend Vidalia and her son Sour Cream (and future home for Yellow Tail and Onion). Walking up to the front door with Alena, Greg gave it a brisk knock. Waiting for a few seconds Greg decided to knock a little harder this time. Still, no answer Greg literally pounded on the door before he got an answer.

"WHAT?!" answered Vidalia, bags under her eyes and a sawed off shotgun in her hands. Recognizing Greg, she pulled herself together and lowered the shotgun before saying, "Dammit Greg! What are you doing here so late?!"

"It's only like six-thirty. Anyway, I was hoping _we_ could stay the night, maybe?" asked Greg as Vidalia calmed down.

Vidalia laughed before replying, "Got a new job and everything and still crashing at my place. Moving up in the world, huh? …By the way, does your lady-friend at Temple know about _her_ …"

Seeing Vidalia point to Alena, Greg was quick with the explanation, "Oh no! It's nothing like that! She asked me to show her around Beach City! I just wanted us to stay here so we can do a full-day's exploration of the Temple tomorrow."

"Rriiight…Anyway your couch is still available but I don't know where your new friend will sit." replied Vidalia disbelievingly, before walking into the house. Alena and Greg followed in right after her.

"So, who is this _lady-friend_ Vidalia was talking about?" asked Alena with a suspicious edge.

"Oh you'll meet her tomorrow. I get the feeling you two will get along great…" replied Greg.

 _Back to the present(5)…_

 _"So after that we just went to bed (separate beds_ _ **Amethyst**_ _) went to sleep and waited 'til the morning." finished Greg. Around the room looks of amazement to shock were on every face. After, Alena in their previous meetings never showed herself to be so…nice._

 _"So are you going to continue the story?" asked Peridot impatiently._

 _Greg was about to respond, when a grumbling came from his belly, "Oh crud, something must been wrong with the mayo… Just sit tight, I'll be right back." said Greg before rushing off to the bathroom._

 **To be continued…**

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Sorry for the long wait. My mom was in the hospital and she just got released. Hard to feel motivated to write but I did anyway! Please Read and Review!

1 There's no hint of a hotel or motel in Beach City, but there has to be one nearby. After all, Beach City probably get a lot of income from tourists.

2 He's referring to the song it's named after "Sun-shining Day".

3 In my old fictions I write out the song lyrics, but it's just background noise in this story. I'm sure you can find it on the Internet.

4 This is mostly going to be montage-highlight reel style. Little conversation with the other characters while keeping the important details shown.

5 Each chapter will end with a wrap-up explanation in 'present times.' Just a heads up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two: Meeting of Rivals

 _14 years ago the following morning, on approach to the Crystal Gem Temple…_

Alena Frankfurt and Greg Universe were finally getting close to the Crystal Gem Temple. Alena was quite insistent on visiting the Temple, almost skipping breakfast. Unlike the house built at the entrance in the present only a cave was carved into the side of the cliff face beneath the statue. It seemed that there were no Gems present at this time. Deciding to sit on the Warp pad, Greg turned to Alena who looked like she was trying to absorb every detail of the Temple.

"You know," Greg finally worked up the courage to ask what's on his mind, "you've been pretty insistent on coming here. Any particular reason?"

Alena seemed startled, as if briefly forgetting Greg was there. Sighing, Alena pulled out a _small brown book_ from her backpack before walking over and sitting right by Greg and explaining, "This is **not** my first visit to Beach City. A few years ago, I was looking through the library for…historical documents. With this book, I hit the motherlode:

"This is a journal account of a man named Buddy Buddwick. He started out as First Mate to William Dewey, the founder of Beach City. He began to worry he would be forgotten as time went on. Long story short, he was given directions to various sites belonging or related to the Crystal Gems. I have been to these sights and study them as thoroughly as I could. All I need to do is meet and speak with them and my research is complete."

Greg took a moment to absorb everything Alena told him before responding, "So let me put things into perspective: you lied to me because you _knew_ I was on speaking terms with the Crystal Gems. The whole friendly routine, was just a way to get to the Gems. So my biggest question is this: what do you want to talk with the Gems about?"

Alena quickly stood up and plaintively gestured towards Greg saying, " _Nein! Nein!_ That tour through Beach City…when I first came here I went straight to the Library for information and straight out with the book. The book wasn't in the library system, so technically…anyway. Greg, you are a kind caring person. I was not trying to use you for anything untoward I assure you. All I am asking, is the Crystal Gems', specifically Rose's, perspective on their history. That is all!"

Greg still felt suspicious, but before he could ask more, the Warp Pad lite up. Jumping back, the humans watched as a ten-foot tall plump pink being appeared suddenly on the platform. A white, elegant dress clung to her body like a second skin, save for a star shaped hole at the navel. Amidst the curly pink curtain of hair was a face that could truly be described as _motherly_ , the face of…

"ROSE!" exclaimed Greg who rushed over to the named Rose Quartz with the speed of a lovesick puppy. Rose managed to barely catch Greg in a warm hug while laughing softly. Alena looked on the scene with a strange, hostile look in her eyes…

"Oh I almost forgot! Alena, this is Rose Quartz, leader of the Crystal Gems and one of the only girls to really stand yours-truly! Rose, this is Alena Frankfurt…I'm guessing an overly generous visiting researcher on all things Gem related. Only know her a couple of days really…" explained Greg, rather ashamed he did not know more about his new acquaintance.

Rose turned with a smile to the secretly scowling Alena, who quickly put on an innocent smile as Rose and Greg looked at her, and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Alena. I would **love** to hear how you two met."

" _'Ahem.'_ While I am sure we can socialize later, I feel we must get down to more…pressing matters." remarked Alena, diverting the conversation, "So, Rose…where exactly are the _rest_ of the Crystal Gems?"

Rose, seemingly indifferent to Alena's attitude answered, "Well, Amethyst is visiting some old stomping grounds while Pearl is… _indisposed_.(1) Garnet is on a solo mission to the Great White North. So I came back to spend some time with Greg. Of course, I can answer any question you might have…"

"Please I'm sure we'll have more than enough time after you've…caught up with Greg." reassured Alena, before walking away and pulling out a mobile phone and dialing a number.

Rose turned back to Greg and said, "So…she seems nice."

"Yeah…honestly I don't know what to make of her. I mean, she seem to really interested in meeting you and now…" Greg trailed off not sure what else to say.

"Don't worry! I'm sure she's just nervous! I remember Pearl being exactly the same way when I first met her." stated Rose brushing aside Greg's concerns.

"Really?" asked Greg, wondering if Rose might be right.

"Of course! Oh, she's heading back right now…" stated Rose at the sight of Alena walking back towards them, "So…what was the phone call about?"

"I simply needed to make sure the university staff knows that I'll be away for a bit on a…research expedition." replied Alena mysteriously.

"You never mentioned working for any university before." stated Greg wondering at the omission.

"I did tell you I study the Crystal Gems, right? Specifically, I am head of Antiquarian Studies at New Haven University.(2) _Lux et Veritas!_ " replied Alena with gusto at the slogan, before seeing the looks on Greg and Rose's faces (Rose=amused, Greg=weirded out) continuing, "Anyway…Greg I was hoping I could speak with Rose alone for a little bit, is that alright?"

Greg looked a little nervous, but Rose assured him, "Don't worry Greg, I'm sure this won't take long." And with that Greg went to go get his van (which he just realized was about few miles back at the carwash)…

 _Present…_

 _"Now, I feel I should point out that at the end of this little adventure, Rose told me everything that she and Alena talked about. So technically this is second hand information." explained Greg before he continued…_

 _Back to the past…_

"So, Alena, what exactly would you like to talk about first?" asked Rose, confident she could handle the question Alena presented.

A confidence perhaps misplaced because of Alena's sinisterly small smile, "I think you and I both know where to begin…the Rebellion!"

Rose was startled by the blunt statement before asking, "And how much do you know about that?"

"Oh, our ancestors record events with startling accuracy! I know you're people first came here around 6000 years ago, you specifically were created and decided to rebel and 5000 years ago the Rebellion ended. Though whether to actually call it a victory remains to be seen…" explained Alena in a smug tone.

"I will admit, both sides suffered terribly, but it is a victory! …However pyrrhic." retorted Rose, slightly upset at Alena making light of their sacrifice.

"Very well…then after the 'victory' you and the other Crystal Gems set about hunting and collecting the Gem monsters, despite the fact that it is rare to see them attack any humans, unless your involved." Alena condescendingly continued.

"The 'monsters' have to be contained…not just because of the possible danger to humans but for their own protection as well." replied Rose, becoming annoyed with Alena's condescension.

"So you admit that the only reason these creatures attack is because of your involvement!" exclaimed Alena point the finger at Rose and the Crystal Gems, "Not that surprising since a good number of them probably still remember your involvement in the Rebellion-"

"What are you talking about?" asked Rose, interrupting Alena.

"I know enough to remember that not every corrupted Gem was from your side of the war." Alena cryptically expounded on, "Now it looks like Greg's heading back so…"

And sure enough, one Greg Universe was returning back, to see if Rose and Alena finished conversing. Seeing Alena with a smug grin and Rose with a cautious look, Greg wasn't sure whether he should come in or not. The decision was made for him; "Greg! _Wunderbah_! Rose was just agreeing to take us somewhere to help with my research!"

"Uh, where? The Temple?" asked Greg, noticing Rose's confused look turning back to cautious.

" _Nein, nein, nein_. We're going to where dreams are interred and nightmare's born…the Kindergarten!" Alena waxed poetically, this time Greg did not miss Rose's face looking terrified…

 _Back to the Present…_

 _"The Kindergarten? She could have easily gotten there by normal means…why would she take you and Rose there?" asked Pearl curiously._

 _"More importantly, why would she go there when Amethyst was at her 'old stomping grounds'?" asked Connie._

 _"Oh, I wasn't there." explained Amethyst, "Me and Rose got a little code going on back then. If I was at the Kindergarten, I'd be 'visiting the folks'. The 'stomping grounds' are the wrestling arena."_

 _"WHAT?! You were going there back then?! And Rose knew?!" exclaimed Pearl shocked at this new information._

 _"Yeah, only I wasn't the Purple Puma…I was the Snazzy Cat!" exclaimed Amethyst turning into the form of a child-sized wrestler, "Then they had that stupid height requirement and well…ya now the rest."_

 _"AAAAWWW!" Steven and Connie cooed adoring the little wrestler. The other two Gems turned to Greg, waiting for him to continue._

 _"Well, we went to the Kindergarten via the Warp Pad, and I knew instantly things were going to turn out badly. One clue was the worried look on Rose's face, the other was the look of_ _ **triumph**_ _on Alena's…"_

 _ **To Be Continued…**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Hope you did not get too impatient! Please read and review!

1 Basically, Pearl's been poofed. Meaning she's out of action of a few days or weeks as according to the show, specifically the episode "Steven the Sword Fighter", she takes the longest to reform.

2 Steven Universe version of Yale University.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three: Hard Dose of Reality

 _The Kindergarten, 14 years ago…_

We find ourselves in the bleak black-grey canyon that is known by the Gem species as the 'Kindergarten'. A bleak, scarred landscape with alien machines in the shape of bacteriophage stands in utter silences. No birds, or insects could be heard, only the whistling of the wind whispering across the birthing holes of past Quartz warriors. As if life could and would never return to this desiccated place. Such is the description of a places, whose literal translation is…'child garden'.

The nearby Warp Pad lite up depositing Rose Quartz, Greg Universe, and Alena Frankfurt to their final destination. Greg, who had been unprepared for the loss of gravity, fell back on the platform while Rose and Alena landed gracefully. Giggling a little at Greg's fall, Rose stepped off the platform while Alena helped Greg up. A few feet from the platform, Rose gestured to the area dramatically and exclaimed, "Here we are…The Kindergarten!"

Greg took a moment to take in the scenery, while Alena smiled enigmatically and started forward. Picked up a rock from the ground, Alena pulled out a scanner device from her satchel and scanned the rock. Mumbling under her breath, Alena seemed to be in a world of her own. Greg took the opportunity to walk up to Rose and asked, "So, uh…you two getting along?"

Rose smiled sweetly to Greg and replied, "Well…she seems driven, intelligent, and she has quite the way with people…"

Greg looked away saying, "Well, that doesn't ease my mind any…"

Rose rested her hand on his shoulder comfortingly and said confidently, "Relax, Greg. It's like you always say…'I'm a big girl!'"

Greg laughed a little at the private joke between them as Alena walked towards them after her studies. Adjusting her glasses, Alena looked towards Greg and said, "Well, these readings will really help with my studies! Before we go, I have to ask…Greg: what has Rose Quartz told you about this particular region of the planet?"

Both Greg and Rose were surprised at the question, though Greg eventually worked up the nerve to answer, "Well…mostly that the Gems from Rose's home tried to do something…horrible to the Earth and it happened here."

"Really?" asked Alena in a deadpan tone, before continuing, "Well, to explain in more detail, they created Gems here by drawing in the mineral deposits with a special 'birthing' fluid I have yet to fully decipher, injected by these bacteriophage shaped machine. However, these same mineral deposits are what allow plants to grow and thrive. Given a hundred years or so…and everything within a ten-thousand mile radius would be unable to sustain life.

"Do you understand what I am saying here? The Gem species…are PARASITES! You are currently sleep with a monster sized mosquito! How people can blatantly ignore this…it's in high school textbooks, for God's sake! That is why I had her bring you here…to show you what she is-!"

"ENOUGH!" exclaimed Rose, having just about enough of Alena's hate speech, summoned her shield and rushed in front of Greg expecting an attack.

What she did not expect was for Alena to Laugh at Rose's actions, "Oh, Greg isn't the one in danger here…" Pushing a button on her watch, Alena stood there as from on top of the canyon-side came a massive suit of armor! To put it in the simplest terms, the armor was a massive human-sized box with massive arms and legs. The 'box' opened up to reveal a cock pit and Alena quickly stripped off her regular clothes to reveal…a skin-tight latex body suit, before leaping into the cockpit and closing it up!

"Now, Quartz," snarked Alena, "let's dance!"

 _Present day…_

 _"WHOA WHOA WHOA! STOP! This seems to be going off into left-field! (Thank you baseball trivia)" exclaimed Peridot._

 _"I'm telling you it happened just like that, and if you'll let me, I'll continue the story." replied Greg, before getting back to the story…_

 _14 years previous again…_

Rose and Alena stared each other down from across the Kindergarten. Greg had rushed behind a boulder to stay out of the way of the epic showdown. Rose kept here shield out preparing for whatever kind of attack Alena threw her way. Alena gladly obliged as the gauntlets around the three finger hands of the suit expanded and started firing various bullets at Rose!

For now, Rose was content to wait out Alena's attack seeing what made the bullets special for her to use them first. Most of the bullets were either explosive or release a flaming or freezing gel. Unfortunately, the last batch had an electrical charge which effected the hard light Shield, but not enough to completely dissipate the object. Worst still, at the end some of the bullets _curved around the shield_ and struck Rose directly!

Thankfully, it was only a couple of regular rounds, making Rose lose grip on her shield. Stumbling back from the explosive force, Rose turned to face Alena, who was checking over her gauntlets. "I hope you realize, I _let you_ survive that last little surprise. Those EXATO rounds(1) could have been anything from disruption to explosive rounds. Now, that I know what is most effective, let's move on to the _main event!_ "

And with that, the pauldron expanded to reveal…three rockets ports _each!_ Launch the first set of three rockets, Rose dodged backwards, before the rockets turned to pursue Rose! Rushing through the debris and boulders, Rose was able to lose two of the rockets but the third landed and exploded just behind her. Tumbling across the ground, Rose looked up to find Alena hover over her, rocket flames coming out of the boots!

"I believe you are now beginning to grasp just how **outclassed** you are." explained Alena as she hovered in front of her, "And before you get any ideas of stalling me until I runout of ammunition and fuel, I should tell you why it won't work. Thanks to my own additions to 3-D printing technology, my weapons automatically reload after a few moments of respite. True, the circuitry in the bullets means it takes a little long than with a normal bullet and the rockets are of a limited supply anyway, but I have always planned for this fight to end _**up close and personal!**_ "

And with that the hovering ended and Alena grabbed Rose's face with a crushing grip before smashing her around on the ground! Spinning around on its axis, the Exo-Armor threw Rose into a Gem Incubator. Stomping towards Rose slowly, Rose had enough time to pick herself up and asked, "Why?"

"Why what? Why did I attack you? Why did I build this robotic suit to attack you? Or perhaps, why do I **hate you?** " responded Alena, "Well, the answer to all of those questions is simple: you _**FAILED!**_ "

With that, Alena unleashed a flurry of fast punches into Rose, each to emphasize a sentence or word of her next speech, causing the wall behind her to crack and crumble. "Your little Rebellion had one goal: protect the Earth from Gems of the Homeworld. But the truth is you didn't. Because the Diamonds are still alive, they can come back to Earth _at any time they wish_ _ **and finish what they started!**_ The reason you failed is that you don't understand their relationship: when you kill one, the rest will take their revenge! So as long as you exist, at the very _least_ , they keep coming to destroy Earth.

"So to recap; you're weak, you've accomplished nothing, and I am going to finish what you started! Don't worry, I'll be sure to take care of Greg when you're gone. He does have a certain…charm to him." Finishing her statement with a haymaker punch, Alena stepped back as Rose fell to the ground, miraculously not poofing after that epic beat down. Alena opened a hatch in the front of her Exo-Armor, revealing her smug grin as she looked down on Rose with her own eyes.

"lion…" whispered Rose, just below Alena's hearing.

"I am certainly not lying! I mean, there's no reason to kill Greg anyway. What's he going do, call the police? My backers would bail me out and whisk me away before they could get any charges, even if you were considered applicable to our law sys-!" retorted Alena, before a _pink_ _Lion_ jumped onto her back and started clawing at the suit forcing her to let go of Rose…

 _Present…_

 _"Wait, Lion was there?! Why don't you ever tell me these things?!" Steven asked Lion in an exasperated tone. Lion for his part, simply rolled over in his sleep._

 _Greg had an odd look at Steven and Lion's behavior before getting back to the story, "Anyway…Alena was distracted by Lion while Rose gathered up her strength…"_

 _Back to the past…_

Alena was screaming and cursing as Lion clawed at the Exo-Armor. "Miserable little-!" shrieked Alena as she finally got a handhold on Lion before flinging him to the other side of the canyon. Finally free of the annoyance with a few scratches, Alena looked around…only to find Rose had slipped away while she was distracted! Shrieking towards the heavens, Alena activated her sensors looking for Rose's energy signature. Stomping away, Alena missed Greg rushing behind a nearby boulder…where he dragged Rose!

Heaving his breath, Greg slowly calmed down and looked over Rose…she was not doing well. Alena had made sure not to damage Rose's gemstone and still do just enough damage to cause Rose pain without her 'poofing'. This in turn exhausted Rose's energy supply though hopefully a little rest would help. Guilt filled Greg as he looked Rose over, because he was the one to fall for Alena's con game.

"Look Rose, I just wanna say-" Greg began before Rose interrupted him.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Greg. Alena is…extremely manipulative. I doubt I would have noticed anything if she _really_ tried to fool me." replied Rose, reassuring Greg. Though Greg couldn't help but asked…

" **Why** didn't she try to fool you?"

Rose slumped in depression before replying, "She hates me. I don't even really know why but…as soon as she was sure the other Gems wouldn't show up to interfere, she dived straight into this showdown! She doesn't want to _beat_ me; she wants to _**humble**_ me!"

Just as Rose finished her personal explanation for Alena's behavior, they heard the sound of skittering legs. Looking up, the pair saw a small spider-like robot with a camera lens staring right at them! Just then, the boulder they were hiding behind crumbled revealing…Alena. "Stealth scout drone works marvelously!" replied Alena before holding out her 'hand' to allow the drone to reattached itself.

Rose threw Greg as far away from the fight as possible before Lion suddenly turned up, ramming the Exo-Armor and knocking it on its back! Alena struggled to get up, the flat back and stumpy legs making it difficult to set herself upright. Meanwhile, Lion bowed in front of Rose, who reached in and pulled out her Sword, bring it and her Shield at the ready, while Lion stood beside her waiting to pounce. Grumbling about design flaws, Alena finally managed to wriggle over to her front and set herself upright facing Rose and Lion. As a first move she flung her arms outward, unfurled metal whips that sparked electricity!

Lion was the first to charge forward, only to be wrapped up in Alena's electro-whips. His form destabilizing, Alena simply held him in place while remarking, "I see you have gotten further in that little hybridization project than I thought."

Rose looked startled, prompting Alena to gloat, "You really shouldn't leave research note lying around. I was curious as to the purpose of such experiments, a new form of soldier, or perhaps trying to rid you species of the need to incubate in life-giving planets. But when I finally translated the last notes…I was quite deeply shocked! I mean, I got to hand it to you…it's the most _creative_ method of **suicide** I have ever come across!"

Rose grew angry at Alena belittling Steven and torturing Lion sadistically like that, charged at unprecedented speed and sliced the whip holding Lion, freeing him and causing Alena to stumble. Rose helped unwrap Lion…only to see red lights flashing along the severed whip! Pulling the exhausted Lion away, they got far enough to avoid the blast of the detonation coil.(2) "A little excessive don't you think?" asked Rose.

"Oh, overkill was the idea!" exclaimed Alena, reactivating the machine gun function on the arm the whip was severed from. This time the bullets that shot out either tunneled into nearby stone, shattered into shaped fragments, or _glowed green!_ Of the new batch, only the glowing ones had a noticeable effect, making Rose feel…sick.

"They last few rounds were laced with **polonium** , a rather radioactive material. I wasn't quite sure how Gems respond to radiation…looks like rather painful to be honest." explained Alena in a gloating tone of voice. Shaking off the effects Rose left Lion behind a boulder to rest…and raced at Alena.

Whatever could be said about the Exo-Armor, it was not designed for hand-to-hand combat with a Quartz Warrior! The boxy shaped body was certainly armored enough to take Rose's punches, but the arms and legs were too short for punches and kicks at close range. Alena had clearly not planned for close quarters combat because all of her weapons, including the electro-whips, were designed to keep enemies at a distance. As the hull began to get deep divots and dents from Rose's blows, Alena was forced into a desperation tactic…firing her rockets at point blank range!

The explosion from all six missiles in front of the Exo-Armor was tremendous! Rose was knocked back rolling several dozen feet, while the entire front of the Armor was blown completely off, revealing a soot covered Alena Frankfurt. The arms were also extremely damaged barely able to move and all weapons functionality lost. The only weapons were the pauldron rocket launchers and those were completely out of rockets. All in all, Rose had the advantage now…

"Well…this has been a learning experience for all, wouldn't you say?!" exclaimed Alena, having finally slowed her heart down to normal, "As it is, I must be off! So many new ideas to make into reality! Don't bother talking next time Rose. **You** won't be the one to change my mind…" With that, the rocket boots shot the Exo-Armor with Alena into the air away from the Kindergarten…

Rose slumped forward, truly exhausted for the first time in years. She couldn't even remember the last time she had such a tough fight. Usually, she had the other Gems helping her…"ROSE!" a voice called out from across the battlefield revealing…Greg, rushing towards Rose.

"I'm fine Greg…" Rose nearly dismissed Greg's concern, before an idea came to her, something she had been pondering ever since she meet Greg, "Greg…I wanna have a baby."

Greg was, needless to say, shocked and confused. So shocked that, with all of the other stresses of the day, he decided…to faint…

 _Present day…_

 _On all of the faces in the house, save Greg and Lion, jaws were dropped in open shock at the sudden decision by Rose all those years ago. I mean, Greg had said Alena was the reason that Rose decided to have Steven, but the events described… Greg, predicting this response, added, "Now I know this seems a little…out there…"_

 _"Out there? OUT THERE?!" exclaimed Pearl, the most shocked by this rash decision of Rose, "She just finished a life-or-death battle with a_ _ **psychopath in robotic armor**_ _and the first thing she tells you is_ _ **'she wants a baby'?!**_ _"_

" _Look, I'll explain the whole story…" began Greg before his and Steven's stomachs started growling, "Right after me and Steven get something to eat…and probably Amethyst too…"_

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. Sorry for the long delay...and the cliffhanger. Just the epilogue, then on to my next project. Please read and review!

1 EXATO rounds (i.e. self-guiding rounds) from the 'Splinter Cell' franchise.

2 It's a rope of explosive material used by the Army to clear paths through minefields.


	5. Chapter 5

Epilogue: Lying Eyes

 _Present day, Steven's house…_

 _As Steven and Greg (and Connie) finished with their various snacks, Greg turned to his audience and said, "Now where was I? Went to the Kindergarten…Big robot battle with Alena…Alena retreats with ominous warning…Oh yeah, I fainted after Rose dropped that 'little surprise' in front of me…"_

 _Fourteen years into the past…_

Gregwoozily stood back up to find himself…back in the Crystal Temple cave entrance! Looking around, Greg did not see anyone…not the Crystal Gems and certainly not _Rose_. Deciding that he _needed_ to talk to Rose about what was said he walked up the main Temple door, gave it a good hard knock and said, "Hello, Rose. I think we really need to talk about what happened…and what was said."

The main Temple door glowed a pink light, causing Greg to step back! Out of the Temple came Rose Quartz, seemingly refreshed from the day's fight with Alena. Turning to Greg, Rose put on her best smile and asked, "Oh whatever do you mean?"

"Honestly the whole 'I wanna have a baby thing' is what's on my mind right now. So…explain." stated Greg simply.

Rose sighed before she started to speak, "Alena's…visit…drove home a point I have lived with for millennia. I just…can't fix some of the mistakes I've made. The Diamonds will never listen to me and clearly there are humans out there who feel the same way towards me. The other Gems will never fully grow to be their own selves as long as I am around. So that leaves only one option: I can't exist anymore…

"Don't mistake me; this is not _suicide_ like Alena believes! I truly believe I will live on, as an observer, through Steven. Do I know this for certain? No. But I do know this…if it is possible for Alena or the Diamonds to change their ways, than I believe Steven is the one who can do it, not me."

Greg was nearly brought to tears by Rose Quartz confession. Rose laid her hand on Greg's shoulder causing him to look up into Rose's eyes. Then Rose leaned into kiss Greg as Greg tried to reach around the eight foot woman. As they continued the kiss, Rose Quartz loosened a strap on her dress…

 _Back to the present…_

 _"OKAY! I think we should stop there before we mentally scar poor Steven for life!" exclaimed Pearl, suspecting the MA rating of the scene in the story. Most of the audience's jaws had dropped from where the story was headed. Steven had always felt he had a magically destiny, but he never realize Alena had something to do with it…_

 _"Anyways, a few months later Steven was born and I never heard from Alena since then…until now that is." Greg finished a little awkwardly._

 _"If I may, this has truly revealed a lot of both Rose's and Alena's character, but there is one thing that puzzles me." remarked Peridot, "It's just…Alena is clearly capable of great deception and manipulation, so why was she so interested in starting a fight with Rose Quartz?"_

 _"That's a good question…" replied Greg equally confused and unable to answer the question…_

 _Present time, hidden location…_

 _Alena Frankfurt, Head of the Earth Defense Initiative (EDI), stared down from a high platform at the surviving Rubies trapped inside an energy bubble. Eyeball, Navy and Doc were attempting to pop the bubble, only to realize it was a gem disruption field. All the while, their pointless struggle was amusing to Alena. Just then she thought back to a time right after her fight with Rose Quartz…_

 _Fourteen Years ago, same facility…_

Alena's damaged Exo-Armor was coming in for a landing at the entrance to a military base. The guard glanced up uninterestedly and asked, "Rough day?"

"A learning experience, nothing more. Now if you will excuse me." Stated Alena tersely, while climbing out of the armor and heading through the gate. Behind her a fork lift was picking up the armor and moving it into one of the hangars while the guard ignored it all. Alena quickly made her way to a lift, and as she made her way underground, a strangely appropriate song to her mood started to play…(1)

" _ **City girls just seem to find out early**_

 _ **How to open doors with just a smile**_

 _ **A rich old man**_

 _ **And she won't have to worry**_

 _ **She'll dress up all in lace and go in style**_

" _ **Late at night a big old house gets lonely**_

 _ **I guess every form of refuge has its price**_

 _ **And it breaks her heart to think her love is only**_

 _ **Given to a man with hands as cold as ice**_

" _ **So she tells him she must go out for the evening**_

 _ **To comfort an old friend who's feelin' down**_

 _ **But he knows where she's goin' as she's leavin'**_

 _ **She is headed for the cheatin' side of town**_

As the lift stop at the last floor, Alena walked out towards what appears to be her living space, the thoughts of her first encounter with Rose Quartz races through her head:

" _ **You can't hide your lyin' eyes**_

 _ **And your smile is a thin disguise**_

 _ **I thought by now you'd realize**_

 _ **There ain't no way to hide your lyin eyes**_

" _ **On the other side of town a boy is waiting**_

 _ **With fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal**_

 _ **She drives on through the night anticipating**_

 _ **'Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel**_

" _ **She rushes to his arms; they fall together**_

 _ **She whispers that it's only for awhile**_

 _ **She swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever**_

 _ **She pulls away and leaves him with a smile**_

" _ **You can't hide your lyin' eyes**_

 _ **And your smile is a thin disguise**_

 _ **I thought by now you'd realize**_

 _ **There ain't now way to hide your lyin' eyes**_

Inside her quarters its designs for various machines, ancient tablets depicting the Gem Wars, _and picture of Rose Quartz_ _ **with the eyes crossed out!**_ If Alena was being honest with herself, she **always** hated Rose! Her unassailable attitudes, the easygoing despite surviving a horrifically tragic war, those damn mocking eyes! Whenever Rose looked at a human (especially at Alena) it seemed as if she wasn't looking at a person, but a cute little puppy or kitten!

This is why Alena started burning tearing apart everything in the room as the song continued to play (despite their value to her research)…

" _ **She gets up and pours herself a strong one,**_

 _ **And stares out at the stars up in the sky.**_

 _ **Another night, it's gonna be a long one.**_

 _ **She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry.**_

" _ **She wonders how it ever got this crazy.**_

 _ **She thinks about a boy she knew in school.**_

 _ **Did she get tired or did she just get lazy?**_

 _ **She's so far gone she feels just like a fool.**_

" _ **My oh my, you sure know how to arrange things.**_

 _ **You set it up so well, so carefully.**_

 _ **Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things?**_

 _ **You're still the same old girl you used to be.**_

" _ **You can't hide your lyin' eyes**_

 _ **And your smile is a thin disguise**_

 _ **I thought by now you'd realize**_

 _ **There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes**_

 _ **There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes"**_

Now, Alena stood back at the burning remains of the room, specifically at a picture of Rose and Greg, which refused to burn. Glaring at those happy, shining, **lying eyes** …

 _Present, hidden location…_

As Alena looked down at the Rubies in the bubble, hand on a dial controlling sonic pitch, she thought back on that frustrating day. The final line of the song played on her lips as she turned the dial, almost drowning out the Rubies' screams…

" _ **Honey, you can't hide your lyin' eyes"**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe nor any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. I should probably mention this story was thought before "Lin 4: Alternate Ending". So like a lot of people, I was into the magical destiny idea. In truth, I postulate that the threat of Alena would change Rose's idea of a free childhood for Steven somewhat. She obviously wouldn't want to face her problems, but Alena reveals that they won't stay gone. Hopefully this explains some changes from canon!

Anyway, onto coming attractions! Originally, my plans were for a Fangbone continuation or a Shadowrun/Mass Effect crossover, but due to recent Adventure Time activity, I'll being doing an AU involving that. It's a great show and the miniseries are fun and exciting, but it just got so…out there recently. Think of it as my own attempt at a miniseries. My new Adventure Time story will be up early June at the latest, probably late May, so keep an eye out in the Adventure Time section. Anyway, as always, read and review!

1 "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagles. Every Steven universe episode has a song now it seems.


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